p28-29 letters May 29 26/5/09 18:10 Page 28
Your letters
Job hunting is tough,
despite a lifetime in travel
In May last year when my company’s Atol was
not surprisingly withdrawn, I thought that with
Freedom sunk by
a lifetime in tour operating, finding a job would
not be easy but not impossible.
I joined the exciting world of travel when we
flew the 36-seat DC-3s, eventually reaching the
dizzy heights of chief executive and managing
director, creating an operator to carry 180,000
red tape failures
charter passengers and an inhouse airline.
Later I was with a luxury long-haul operator.
A probable factor is that I did not join the I FEEL I must take issue with the views a clearer definition of travel law. How
G&T brigade as I am a great beliver in “those of Jill Gardner of Hays Travel with sad that so many had to lose their
that govern best make the least noise”. regard to the demise of Freedom
LET
livelihoods in order to achieve this
Is there anybody that can help? For a CV Direct Holidays (TTG May 15). goal.
and personal profile, please email me at I am unsure as to where her
OF THE
TER
The clueless bureaucracy that
pechpa@hotmail.com and I guarantee a reply. information comes from, but WEEK strangled Freedom Direct Holidays
the picture painted of a company will drag many other firms under
Name & address supplied “run blind”, bereft of management and will have serious repercussions for
accounts, cashflows and management the travel industry as a whole.
Industry must not let Ryanair information is a world away from the How can consumer confidence be maintained
get away with online rip-off company I worked for. when the governing bodies are working so
I agree with Allen Miller who rightly points out Obviously, it is easy to target a company hard to avoid their responsibilities?
that Ryanair is breaking the law by advertising when it has no right of reply, but I can assure I am sure that Freedom Direct Holidays
rates that are no longer all-inclusive (TTG May you that the failure of the company was not as will not be the only high-profile casualty of
22). One has to check in and this can no longer a result of poor accounting practice. Instead, the lack of clarity in the travel market.
be done without incurring a minimum charge it was as a result of the failure of the Therefore I would hope that when people
of £5. Surely somebody can make an official respective governing bodies to understand line up to give their opinions, they will
complaint? I for one would certainly contact a the trading model that the company was remember the old adage “there but for the
Trading Standards office. forced to adopt in order to comply with its grace of God go I”.
apparent legal obligations.
Reinhard Wiersum It is ironic that the failure of Freedom Name & address supplied.
chief executive, Leisure Industry Consultancy Direct Holidays will probably pave the way for Former Freedom Direct employee
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28 29.05.2009
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